Current Awareness in Aging Research (CAAR) Report #358--October 12, 2006

CAAR (Current Awareness in Aging Research) is a weekly email report produced
by the Center for Demography of Health and Aging at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
that helps researchers keep up to date with the latest developments in the field.
For more information, including an archive of back issues and subscription information
see:

A. The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research Health and
Retirement Study has announced: "2004 HRS Core (Final Release, Version
1.0):
Corrections to the secondary ID variables in all the non-respondent level
files."

8. US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR
GENERAL REPORT: "Carrier Determination of Copayments for Medicare Mental
Health Services" (OEI-09-04-00221, October 2006, .pdf format, 28p.).

Abstract:

OIG found that beneficiary copayments can be more than double for the same
mental health service based on the beneficiary's geographic location.
Carriers inconsistently apply the "outpatient mental health treatment
limitation" (the limitation), causing these disparities in copayments.
In
addition, carriers are incorrectly applying the limitation to claims for
medical management services for beneficiaries diagnosed with Alzheimer's
disease and related disorders. Over a 4-year period, Medicare underpaid $27
million for these services, passing the costs on to beneficiaries in the
form of higher copayments. To address these issues, OIG recommends that CMS
issue new guidance to its carriers regarding the limitation and ensure that
the limitation is consistently applied among all carriers. In addition, OIG
recommends that CMS require its carriers to adjust the copayments for the
beneficiaries who were overcharged. CMS plans to issue more precise
guidance to its carriers, post educational materials to its Web site, and to
the extent it is feasible, require its carriers to reopen and adjust
incorrectly processed claims.

20. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN POPULATION STUDIES CENTER: "Age Patterns of
Disease Incidences in the U.S. Elderly: Population-Based Analysis," by
Igor
Akushevich, Alexander Kulminshi, Lucy Akushevich, and Kenneth G. Manton
(TRENDS Working Paper No. 06-6, October 2006, .pdf format, 17p.). Note:
Links to the abstract and full-text can be found at:

The recently released papers are 2006-123 -- 2006-131.
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22. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF POPULATION RESEARCH: "Socioeconomic
differences in health among older adults in Mexico," by Kimberly V. Smith
and Noreen Goldman (WP 2006-07, September 2006, .pdf format, 28p.).

Abstract:

Although the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health is
well-established in developed countries, few studies have examined this
association in developing countries, particularly among older cohorts. We
use the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a nationally representative
survey of Mexicans age 50 and older, to investigate the linkages between
three indicators of SES (education, income, and net wealth) and a set of
health outcomes and behaviors in urban and non-urban areas of Mexico. We
consider three measures of current health (self-rated health and two
measures of physical functioning) and three behavioral indicators (obesity,
smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption). We find substantial differences
in the SES-health relationship by area of residence. In urban areas,
patterns are similar to those in developed countries: higher SES individuals
are more likely to report better health than their lower SES counterparts,
regardless of the SES measure considered. In contrast, we find few
significant SES-health associations in non-urban areas. The results for
health behaviors are generally similar between the two areas of residence.
One exception is the education-obesity relationship, which is negative in
urban areas and positive in non-urban ones. Contrary to patterns in the
industrialized world, income is positively associated with obesity, smoking,
and excessive alcohol consumption in both urban and non-urban areas. The
analysis also identifies sex differences in the SES-health relationship,
with smaller SES differentials in health found among women. The results
suggest that further economic development in Mexico may lead to a widening
of socioeconomic inequalities in health. The study also provides insight
into why socioeconomic gradients in health are weak among Mexican-Americans
in the U.S. and underscores the importance of understanding health
inequalities in Latin America for research on Hispanic health in the U.S.

A. "Inheritance and Saving," by David Joulfaian (w12569, October
2006, .pdf
format, 24p.).

Abstract:

This paper explores the effects of inheritances on the saving of recipients.
Information on inheritances and heirs is obtained from estate tax records of
decedents which are linked to the income tax records of beneficiaries. The
observed pattern of wealth mobility within two years of the receipt of
inheritances and multivariate analyses show that wealth increases by less
than the full amount of the inheritance received. Similarly, and consistent
with previous findings, large inheritances are found to depress labor force
participation.

This paper examines how unemployment affects retirement and whether the
Unemployment Insurance (UI) system and Social Security (SS) system affect
how older workers respond to labor market shocks. To do so, we use pooled
cross-sectional data from the March Current Population Survey (CPS) as well
as March CPS files matched between one year and the next and longitudinal
data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS). We find that downturns in
the labor market increase retirement transitions. The magnitude of this
effect is comparable to that associated with moderate changes in financial
incentives to retire and to the threat of a health shock to which older
workers are exposed. Interestingly, retirements only increase in response to
an economic downturn once workers become SS-eligible, suggesting that
retirement benefits may help alleviate the income loss associated with a
weak labor market. We also estimate the impact of UI generosity on
retirement and find little consistent evidence of an effect. This suggests
that in some ways SS may serve as a more effective form of unemployment
insurance for older workers than UI.

25. CENTER FOR ECONOMIC STUDIES/IFO INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH (CESifo)
[MUNICH, GERMANY]: "Longevity and Aggregate Savings," by Eytan Sheshinski
(WP 1828, October 2006, .pdf format, 19p.). Links to an abstract and full
text are available at:

29. AMEDEO MEDICAL LITERATURE: Note: "AMEDEO has been created to serve
the
needs of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses,
pharmacists, administrators, other members of the health professions, and
patients and their friends. They can easily access timely, relevant
information within their respective fields... All AMEDEO services are free
of charge. This policy was made possible thanks to generous unrestricted
educational grants provided by AMGEN, Berlex, Eisai, Glaxo Wellcome,
Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Schering AG."

B. "Notice of Extension of Expiration Date for PAR-02-076 -- Mentored
Clinical Scientists Development Award (K12)" (NOT-DA-06-031, National
Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Aging, Oct. 3, 2006). For
more information see:

D. "Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for
Interdisciplinary Individual Postdoctoral Fellows for Training in
Neurodegeneration Research (F32) (RFA-AG-07-004, National Institute on
Aging, in conjunction with several other agencies, Oct. 2, 2006). For more
information see:

F. "Short-Term Interdisciplinary Career Enhancement Awards for
Neurodegeneration Research (K18) (RFA-DC-07-005, National Institute on
Aging, in conjunction with several other agencies, Oct. 2, 2006). For more
information see:

I. "Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual
Predoctoral Fellows (F31)" (PA-07-002, reissue of PA-04-032, Oct. 6, 2006,
National Institute on Aging, in conjunction with several other agencies).
For more information see:

--
Jack Solock
Data Librarian--Center for Demography and Ecology and Center for
Demography of Health and Aging
4470 Social Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53706
608-262-9827
jsolock@ssc.wisc.edu